FIRST of all I have some apologies - The date for the M'dalas meeting was
incorrectly included for July and if this inconvenienced anyone, I am
sorry.

Remember the M'dalas meeting is the third Thursday of each month.

The second apology is to Graham Blick or more correctly Fleur.
Due to a misunderstanding the profile in last month's edition of
committee members listed Graham being married to Fleur Kneeholt (should
have been Fleur nee Holt) - Sorry Fleur but we did have a chuckle at the
committee meeting.

We have had some major moves in location. We will start with the
important ones first.

THE PUB NIGHT. The next two months - first Friday of each month
(7th in August, 4th in September) will be held at ANZAC Club St. George's
Terrace. Committee meetings are to be held at Water Corporation
Engineering Station & Arboriculture Specialist Centre, Underwood /
Grovedale roads, Jolimont.

And now for the thanks. Thank you Dennis Hoyes for providing me
articles and letters for publication. Thank you to the contributors and
donations to the quiz night.

Zebra's winters dinner - August 22nd . 50 seats only . $26 special
menu. Bookings to be sent to Administrator to confirm bookings and payment
must be received 1 week prior.

No function has been arranged for September but the M'dalas have a
wildflower tour organized for the 3rd September. A Houghtons BBQ (Braai)
or should it be Braai (BBQ) has been arranged for October 18th.

Thank you to everybody who helps the association keep going.
Especially, I would like to say how much we appreciate the contributions
from our two younger committee members Michelle and Stewart.
They want to put some emphasis on the future - they'd like to
provide an outlet for our young. Somewhere where they can meet in
congenial surroundings.

Until now, there has been an emphasis on providing functions for
like minded Rhodesians, generally older.
There is an accepted undertone that we Rhodesians are being
assimilated, dying out and generally forgotten. But are we?
The whenwe phraseology is the worst self incrimination we have
imposed on ourselves - I personally abhor it.
We have to look to the future, embrace Australia or any other new
homeland but we have our ideology, we have our own mutual background.
Our young committee members want to keep it going. As another
aspect to our organisation, please please please, send to me details of
your children, so can organise an appropriate get-together.

THE M'Dalas Indaba of 18th June had an attendance of 43 and we were glad
to welcome Jimmy Young and Arthur Hudson who have both been ill recently.
Pat Forbes and Pat Bromfield have also been on the sick list and we are
all very concerned about Dorothy Truran who is not at all well.

A Wild Flower tour is planned for Thursday 3rd September including
morning tea and a picnic lunch. It is hoped that we will have a botanist
on the coach with us.

Reports from Zimbabwe indicate that armed robberies continue to be
a threat both in town and country. The proposal to cut the army strength
by 50% will also put another 20,000 out of work. Tobacco prices continue
to be below cost of production which is a major worry for the long term
future of the tobacco industry.

Our members David and Margaret Robinson have just returned from a
three week visit to China. At our June meeting Margaret gave our members
an excellent and comprehensive account of their travels. The talk was well
presented and covered aspects of life in China from 4,000 BC to the
present day. The enormity of construction ranged from the Great Wall of
China to the new dam on the Yangtse River where the flooded area will
displace about 2 million villagers.

John Seward will soon be going off to Argentina, South Africa and
Zimbabwe, so we anticipate an account of his travels in due course.

The meeting of 16th July resulted in an attendance of only 33
members. It was in fact a very cold morning and a number of people were on
holiday or had other commitments. An excellent morning tea was provided by
the ladies on duty and as usual members enjoyed time for social chat..
Denis Hoyes gave an update of conditions in Zimbabwe where the main
concern is the "land grab." Landless peasants are now squatting in large
numbers on white owned farms and it appears that authorities are doing
very little to evict them.

Ann Tibbits (senior) would like all Chaplin Old Boys and Girls to get in
touch with her. As a committee member of the Old Chaplin Association, she
is trying to get as many past pupils, teachers and other staff to attend
the Reunion on the first Friday in February 2000 when a grand event will
be staged in Harare. (100 years) This year about 120 former pupils and
staff attended a gathering where a good time was had by all. Do get in
touch with Ann at Box EH 131, Emerald Hill, Zimbabwe. Tel: 302295

THE sixth Africa Cup Tournament was held at Wembley on Sunday 14th June,
and after a week of fairly constant rain it was a pleasure to play on a
day of sunshine and light breezes.
A field of 34 enjoyed the day and the companionship of fellow
southern Africans.
All 34 played individual stableford for the prizes on offer whilst
three teams of 8 played for the trophy, the aggregate of the best six
scores of the eight to count for a team total.
We would like to thank most sincerely those players who donated
prizes.
This year we did not really have the time to approach companies for
sponsorship, however, just playing the game was reward enough for the
majority.
Malawi regained the trophy with 229 points, followed by Rhodesia
with 218 and the holders, South Africa, with a distant 172 points.
The individual event was won by Doug Lawrence on 46 points (a more
serious approach to handicaps will need to be taken in future ??), with
Stuart Buchan and Aiden Hickey 2nd and 3rd on 43 points each.
Other good scores which earned prizes were Steve Huckle and Ian
"Hoppy" Anderson on 42 followed by Marcus Wood-Gush 41 and Eric NelI 40.
For the record the first two Africa Cup tournaments were won by
Rhodesia before the tri-nation series when Malawi started participating
and won the next two events.
South Africa won the fifth event before Malawi again this year.
The actual trophy is still missing so I think I will need to get
out and arrange a replacement plus the necessary engraving before we hold
the seventh competition. Keith Waddacor 18.6.98

ANYONE yearning for the sounds of home need look no further than the
centre of Perth this month.
The throbbing rhythms synonymous with southern Africa will
reverberate through His Majesty's Theatre as the Vusa Dance Company
presents what is described as "an explosive fusion of streetjive, tap,
jazz, gumboot and traditional South African dance".
African Moves is returning to Australia for a four-city tour,
beginning in Perth on August 17 and 18 and follows a sellout season at the
1997 Melbourne Festival. The Melbourne Sunday Age described the troupe as
"extraordinary athletes, muscled, lean and infused with the explosive
street culture of Soweto".
The company is led by co-artistic directors Debbie Rakusin and
Mudanalo David Matemala. Both are from wildly different cultural and dance
traditions - Rakusin from a privileged , middle class background trained
in the classical Western style and Matemala from the thumping street
culture of the black townships of Soweto.
African Moves delivers a performance "pulsating with passion,
athleticism and grace". T.H.

THERE is nothing to put an edge on an appetite like a day in the
mountains.
Having soaked almost forgotten muscles, tender after scrambling
over rugged granite outcrops, in a deep hot bath, following a full day
breathing fresh, slightly chilled air, still with a hint of the tang of
the Indian Ocean about it; skin glowing from a golden sun in an unpolluted
sky and having relaxed at a friendly bar, what better than an excellent
dinner?
Under those circumstances, few meals could taste better than those
served at Inn on Rupurara in the Nyanga mountains.
The Inn ('rupurara' is allegedly a ChiManyika word meaning a
bald-headed man, a reference to a very distinctive huge rock feature
nearby), is one of the latest in the Inns of Zimbabwe chain making a
triumphal march of progress down our eastern frontier.
Before we proceed, I should come clean and declare my interest. I
was a guest of directors and management at Rupurara, but from what I saw,
heard, and experienced - and bearing in mind the excellent suppers served
are from a fairly comprehensive table d'hote menu - I believe I received
no different treatment from other guests.
It is, after all, very difficult to improve on superb!
The innkeeper, Jan Raath (no relation to the Harare-based reporter
for the London Times of the same name) was behind the bar, serving drinks
speedily and professionally when I joined fellow diners for pre-dinner
snorts. The dinner party comprised Jan, photographer Alan Allen; Jason
Driscoll, the Rupurara estates manager and his wife-the blushingly
pregnant and just beginning to show it, Kim - plus Jason's under-strapper,
Sean de Jaeger, and myself.
And a jolly group it was too. Having scrambled and climbed and
slipped and skidded; been shown the intricacies of commercial trout
production; tried our hands at fly casting; tracked spoor of leopard,
hyena, and jackal and watched a pair of magnificent black eagles build a
nest, between hunting dassies, we were as hungry as hunters. Drinks flowed
in Trevor's Wine Bar (named after Trevor Craig, a previous estates manager
killed in a car crash shortly before the hotel opened). It was very jovial
party which finally got round to examining the magnificently presented
menus.
All other guests were on coffee, liqueurs, and mints before we even
established what the soup was.
I think we all - with the exception of preggers Kim and Alan Allen,
who eats like a bird - ploughed our way trencherman-like through almost
everything on offer that first night.
And that included a delightful starter: fruit and prawn platter
with a light chilli dressing.
It was a superbly attractive example of almost nouvelle cuisine
with large, plump, pink sea-fresh Mozambique shelled prawns nestling in a
decorative surround of oranges, pears, bananas, grapes and peaches. The
light chilli sauce was just that. Barely a suggestion of fiery flavour
easily tempered by the fresh fruit.
'Two soups' were exactly as stated. The bowl appeared almost
scientifically accurately divided in half and soups of differing flavours,
textures and colours (tomato and celery) occupied their own half.
Eventually, they mingled with a symphony of flavours. Both were
really excellent; together, mixed, even better.
I had not intended to order poached eggs Burgundy style.
There was a breakdown in communications and the dish arrived. I was
glad of the error. A large farm fresh egg each had been poached in
Burgundy wine, the egg served on a bed of lightly fried onions on top of a
large slice of croutonised bread, the whole basted in the surplus
wine-based liquid. Magnificent.
The dining room at Inn on Rupurara might be a little off-putting to
casual visitors. Like at all Inns of Zimbabwe operations, it is sparkling,
squeaky clean. Timber surfaces, antique and reproduction furniture are
highly and lovingly polished.
The silver service cutlery and decorative items of silver, brass,
bronze, copper and pewter gleam. Glassware glistens.
It could appear a bit out of place among the hiking boots, Colonial
wide-brimmed hats, tartan shirts and webbing mainly seen during the day.
At night, visitors abide by the smart/casual dress code. High in
the mountains, where eagle and big cat rule the veld with harsh law of
tooth and claw, beak and talon, exists a hotel which would not look out of
place in the most sophisticated capital city. A dining room which would do
justice to the most exclusive gentlemen's club.
There were three choices for main course: marinated chicken breast
in a white wine sauce; grilled fillet of beef with Roquefort or creamy
pepper sauce or fillet of kingklip 'Picasso' with nuts and pineapples.
Alan had the steak and declared it "wonderful". Everyone else had
fish which was a culinary triumph. The superbly tasty flesh of this truly
excellent fish blended with crushed nuts and grilled juicy pineapple and
melded magically. Vegetables were noisette potatoes, fried savoury rice
and deliciously prepared cauliflower, gemsquash and carrots. The three of
us drinking wine sampled an impudent bottle of the South African 1997
Buitenverwachting Sauvignon Blanc, then another.
It had the typical light, dry crispy fruitiness to it. Two of us
claimed we could detect more than a hint of a frivolous sparkling-wine
type characteristic. Jan ordered it and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
What I didn't realise was it was perhaps the top-of-the range of
the Inn's imported white wines, costing a mere $265 a bottle.
Puddings were a rich chocolate cake served with an orange sorbet or
treacle tart with a brandy custard. I asked for half a portion of each, as
did all the sweet-toothed foodies, immediately dubbing this 50/50 dish,
perhaps unoriginally: Arcadia pudding.
After this gastronomic marathon, even I could not face a cheese
board. Coffee and mints were served in the lounge.
Had we been paying for the meal, it would have set us back $200,
plus drinks. Dinner is included in the tariff along with breakfast and
accommodation. The rate was $700 per person, per night, sharing and $850
single.
Rates were, however, due to be increased by 20% from 1 July. I
should say that although not really a breakfast person, the spread laid on
looked incredible.
A 'full English breakfast' such as few Englishmen have ever tasted
included cereals, fresh fruit, fruit juices; kippered trout fillets; cold
meats and cheeses; eggs, bacon, sausage, boerewors, tomatoes. Daily
specials offered include liver, kidney, steak and French toast.
Delicious home-baked rolls, scones and toast came with various
sweet and savoury spreads, jams, marmalades, honey and lashings of tea or
coffee.
Our second night's supper at Rupurara was every bit as good as the
first. Alan and I again ate with Jan Raath.
We were joined by Suzanne Clarke, on the staff of the group's
nearby Pine Tree Inn.
We were not so ravenous at this meal. No one ordered chicken liver
mousse with a tomato coulis, but it looked grand.
We all thoroughly enjoyed a magnificent French onion soup with
croutons. Someone had the aubergines Nimoise. (The egg- plant is cut
across the section, the flesh scooped out, cubed, mixed with ham, parsley,
cream and baked).
Alan had poached fillet of hake mornay which looked superb. The
remaining three, roast duckling in white wine sauce with grapes.
Vegetables were baked potatoes, lemon rice, mange tout peas and
rather tempting gemsquash fritters.
The duckling also came with an unusual apple sauce (for a welcome
change) tucked inside a decorative savoury pancake.
We had one very acceptable delightfully chilled bottle of 1996
Nederburg rose ($130).
A rather sophisticated non-boarding school type bread-and-butter
pudding and a pineapple mousse were both enjoyed tremendously.
We all declined the cheese board (I wonder if it ever gets
sampled?) but had coffee and mints in the lounge.
I don't think the Inn on Rupurara has yet been graded by the
tourism ministry and, in any case, I doubt whether the current inspectors
have more than half a clue of what they are supposed to be looking for or
grading.
The restaurant, at the end of June 1998, was worth at least
four-and-a-half stars.

A small piece of the history and heritage of Rhodesia was lost
when Flame Lily Foundation member Joan Garbett died on 21 October 1997.
She was perhaps better known to a generation of Rhodesians as
"Walter Robin" - The Rhodesia Herald's and latterly, the Sunday Mail's
Children's Mail columnist. Probably lesser known was the derivation of her
pen-name; although the significance of 'Walter' remains undetermined,
'Robin' referred to Rhodesia's own robin, Swynnestons, named for Mr Frank
Massy Swynnerton, a famous naturalist who lived and worked in Southern
Rhodesia from circa 1900, discovering in the Chirinda Forest near
Melsetter, 'his' robin.
This little bird with its distinctively sibilant call, is unique to
Zimbabwe, and was chosen in about 1930 to be the symbol of the Walter
Robin club, focused on junior newspaper readers, and still on the wing
today.
Joan Power was born on 18 June 1909 near Pinetown in Natal.
Brought up amid the strange world of British colonial South africa in a
family of 5 children, she was educated at the Oakford Dominican Convent
near Verulam, imbibing from school and home the traditional Roman Catholic
faith which marked her life, and leaving as Head Girl in 1927. She lived
in Durban and Pietermaritzburg, working in the newspaper world there until
she accepted a challenging transfer to the then Salisbury at age 32 as a
teleprinter operator.
Shortly thereafter Joan began her journalisic career, which
immediately involved the column - writing that was to "make her name"
until she handed over the Robin's nest 40 years later Retiring initially
in Johannesburg, Joan Garbett moved to her final resting place among the
South African capital city's Jacarandas in 1994. - Philip Garbett (son)

THE Zimbabwean government and the World Bank have concluded negotiations
for a multi- million-dollar rehabilitation project for the country's
national parks, mines, environment and tourism minister, Simon Moyo, has
disclosed.
Speaking in Victoria Falls, Moyo said the Government would get
Z$1.2 billion (US$67 million) for the purpose.
The project, to be implemented over the next six years, will begin
in September.

Robert Mugabe has threatened to clamp down on the independent press in
Zimbabwe after a series of embarrassing reports. Showing all the
intolerance of a child found with its hands in the cookie jar and then not
being believed when denying it, he decided to threaten to "shoot the
messenger", rather than face the truth. But the non-Government media are
not taking his bluster lying down. Here is the text of an editorial
published by the Zimbabwe independent.

PRESIDENT Mugabe's threat to introduce measures to curb Press freedom
should be seen more as a reflection of his anger at public exposure than
as a serious challenge to media independence.
He has said much the same thing before and it is significant that
he used the occasion a reception for parliamentarians on Monday night to
attack MPs who refused to toe the party line.
You cannot go for a week without reading blatant lies printed in
bold letters in order for the paper to sell," he told the gathering.
Shall we allow this to continue? I say no.
Let the gutter Press take heed because we are not going to have
this sort of journalism in this country.
Needless to say, his claim that the independent Press is telling
"blatant lies was not supported by any evidence.
The only conclusion we can reach is that the president has been
angered by stories disclosing that those around him have been caught with
their hands in the national cookie jar.
That Mugabe presides over a corrupt and derelict regime is now
taken as a matter of fact by the general public.
Foreign publications reflect this perception in shrill tones.
If anything, the local independent Press has been more restrained
in its depiction of his wayward, nest-feathering administration, focusing
more on particular instances of wrong-doing.
But we should not allow him to get away with the impression he can
threaten us with impunity.
The damage to the country's standing by swaggering statements of
this sort where the head of state claims he can punish critics by
circumscribing their liberties appears to have been only too well grasped
by those around him.
The deathly silence that followed his statement from people who
only a few months ago might have been expected to climb on the bandwagon
of newspaper-bashing illustrates the seismic shifts that have taken place
in the political landscape.
Nobody wants to be associated with these sort of remarks any
more! And his assertion that "we are not going to have this kind
of journalism in this country invites the obvious question: who are "we"?
The days when the president defined the rights of the Press are
long-since past whatever fond notions he may have of restoring his
dictatorship.
And it is about time that the media dealt in a more robust way
with the issues we have tended to dance around in the past.
How, for example, did Mugabe's family members become so rich so
quickly? What properties do they own? What properties are owned by the
government as distinct from the party or by Mugabe privately.
These distinctions have been deliberately blurred.
How was the president's wife able to amass the resources to build
a mansion in Borrowdale and to acquire business interests? What
qualifications does his brother-in-law have to represent the country in
Canada? These are questions that would have been answered years ago in any
self-respecting democracy.
But in Zimbabwe the president remains unaccountable and lashes out
at those who seek to make him accountable, claiming that he wants to
protect "the rights of individuals" meaning he wants to continue hiding
what is of legitimate public interest.
After all, the president has not shown any particular concern
about the rights of individuals hitherto! Make no mistake, the president's
anger is directed chiefly at those publications such as the Zimbabwe
Independent that have exposed the systematic looting of public funds by
his immediate circle.
For years they got away with this as a supine Press politely
declined to do its job. The consequences of that failure are evident
around us today in rapidly declining living standards.
Now that we have a watchdog media prepared to expose misgovernance
and the diversion of national resources to the upkeep of a political
elite the president obviously feels uncomfortable.
And so he should.
He is responsible for the mess around him.
What steps did he take to stop the withdrawal of funds from the
War Victims Compensation Fund by people like his brother-in-law before we
blew the whistle?
What did he do about his own followers who were engaged in private
arrangements with the Ministry of Public Construction to use funds set
aside for low-cost homes to build their own mansions a scheme described in
court as illegal and corrupt?
If Mugabe now finds himself in the unfamiliar position of being
called to account for not acting to stop the rot he only has himself to
blame. For far too long Mugabe has got away with blaming other people for
the country's decline; for playing off one section of the community
against another; for launching witch-hunts to deflect the public
spotlight from his own failings; accusing everybody of telling "lies"
when he is exposed as a hypocrite.
This dishonesty cannot go on.
President Mugabe has made himself the supreme arbiter of our
national fortunes.
He has built a political empire around himself. Now he must
start accepting the responsibility that goes with office.
That means accounting for how public funds are spent. It means
opening up the books on his own household.
Members of ruling families who benefit from that status cannot
turn around and claim the benefits of privacy.
Mugabe doesn't understand this.
That is essentially because he is finding it difficult to adjust
to democratic requirements. But he should understand one thing about the
Press.
In a society where there is no opposition to speak of because it
has been suffocated at birth, the Press has a particular responsibility
to insist that powerful rulers are scrutinised and that public resources
are properly managed.
That must include answering questions put by the Press in an open
and honest way instead of asserting that such questions should not be
asked.
By bashing the Press because he resents exposure, Mugabe not only
reveals himself as an old-style despot who is intolerant of free
expression, he shows more clearly than any Press statement that he may
have a great deal to hide.
Either way it is clear the national disease of non-transparency
spreads from the top.
Indeed, the president's latest outburst shows exactly why Zimbabwe
needs a free Press.

ZIMBABWE Defence Industries, the country's sole arms manufacturer and
trader, has been plunged into a crisis by the refusal of the Sri Lankan
government to pay about $35 million for mortar bombs which disappeared en
route to Colombo and the failure by the Democratic Republic of Congo to
pay nearly $90 million for goods sold to that country.
So serious is the financial crisis at state-owned ZDI that workers
in the company's production department at its factory at Alfida farm have
been redeployed to start a gardening and poultry project.
This came after management had considered an option to indefinitely
showdown the factory due to the scarcity of funds to purchase raw
materials.
The stand-off between ZDI and the Sri Lankan government had also
soured relations between ZDI and a local merchant bank which funded ZDI's
acquisition of components to assemble the 120mm mortar bombs.
The mortar bombs were sourced by SDI from an Israeli company, LBG
Military Supplies, through a facility extended to ZDI by the merchant
bank.
The ship carrying the mortar bombs was reportedly hijacked in the
Indian Ocean by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) who are fighting
the Sri Lankan government for a separate homeland.

From the contributor.
I came across this poem in an old Rhodesian St Giles Rehabilitation
Centre cookery book, it made me smile so I wondered if you might like it
for the Bundu Times when you have a space.

I spoke in grief and anger but naught, alas, was gained,
And local race relations for a time were somewhat strained,
But I soon forgave old Sixpence who is worth more than his pay,
A trusty old retainer who's been with us many a day.

PETER HAGELTHORN, the Editor of Rhodesians Worldwide, went to Zimbabwe on
holiday recently. In a letter to Carol Hoyes, he gave his view on the
state of play there. Here is part of that letter.

WE TOOK a good look at Zim from an outsider's point of view, and spoke to
as many as we could, both black and white.
On the plus side the country is looking great after yet another
good rainy season, and the holiday resorts we went to were as good as ever
(the bream at Kariba are biting again, we caught hundreds and feasted on
bream fillets).
Bulawayo was very clean and quiet (the opposite to Harare), but
most of the smaller towns are bustling, crowded market stalls.
Unlike South Africa one has nothing to fear from car jackings,
muggings and murders (although the petty crime rate is still quite high)
as long as you keep clear of central Harare, and the black man is still so
much more pleasant than his SA counterpart.
However, there is plenty for the down side. Mugabe has wrecked the
economy to such an extent that we did not meet one person who was positive
about the future.
The blacks are openly saying the nasty old Bob has had his day, and
they are also very restive - many of them just cannot pay for the bare
necessities.
As you know ZCTU-orchestrated protests/riots have taken place, and
one gets the feeling there is a lot more to come. Telephones are always
breaking down, it takes many months for any Government office to action
anything at alll and the whole place is so obviously third world that it
makes one dreadfully sad. For the first time ever we did not meet one
white who believed there was any productive future in the country.
Every single person we talked to was adamant that their kids/young
Zimbabweans should seek a life elsewhere.
The simmering unrest, the economy, the land issue, and very bad
government are all combining to make folk realise that Zim is not going to
get better, but much, much worse.
Still, we had an incredible time, thanks to wealthy relatives, and
we can recommend to anyone the new resort, The Lodge at the Ancient City,
which is an Alan Elliot brainchild near the Zimbabwe Ruins.
We loved our week at Kariba (at Charara and on a houseboat), we
marvelled again at Leopard Rock (although the service there was poor), we
had a brilliant time with the white community in Gwanda (about 20 families
who combine, through the social club and their own homes, to make one
happy family), we totally relaxed at Msuna, and enjoyed our day at the
Falls (but, my goodness, is that town just a commercialised tourist
trap!), and Bulawayo is gloriously caught in a time warp.
We got 'lost' in another little world on a farm at Chakari, we
delighted in driving the length and breadth of the country (the roads
between towns are still pretty good), and I just couldn't get enough of
the smells of home, the birds, the animalsl and the sky.
All that said, it was a pleasure to come back to England; I may be
Rhodesian through and through, but I am not a Zimbabwean (I hope that is
not too Irish!).